Livable Communities Act moves forward in Congress

On September 23, 2010 the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on the Livable Communities Act (H.R. 4690, introduced by Representative Ed Perlmutter), taking an important step in the movement of this bill. The Act would fund regional planning to make communities more livable and eliminate barriers to federal agencies working together to better facilitate sustainable development, notably aligning housing and transportation planning and funding.

The hearing follows Senate action in early August, when the Banking Committee passed the companion legislation (S 1619, introduced by Senator Dodd.) That version of the bill passed out of committee with a manager’s amendment that included language for a Regeneration Planning Grant program-a new program that would make available grants to support sustainable, market-sensitive, and community-driven planning in communities that have lost population and are challenged with vacant properties. As Senator Dodd stated when introducing the bill, the Act is designed to be flexible and that there’s no “one size fits all” solution to creating vital cities and regions.

Representative Perlmutter and the House Financial Services Committee are expected to consider that the House version also address the needs of all cities and towns.

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